📖 Biblical Definition
In Hebrew, the Bible distinguishes several categories of fool: kesil (the dull, complacent fool), nabal (the morally corrupt fool, the brutish fool), ewil (the obstinate fool), and letz (the scoffer). All are rebels against the Lord. Psalm 14:1 names the deepest variety: the fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. The fool is not just stupid; he is willfully resistant to the only Knowledge that frees the soul.
📜 Webster 1828 Definition
FOOL, n.
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1. One who is destitute of reason, or the common powers of understanding. 2. In common language, a person who is somewhat deficient in understanding. 3. A weak Christian; one who is destitute of true religion.
📖 Key Scripture
Psalm 14:1 — "The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God."
Proverbs 1:7 — "Fools despise wisdom and instruction."
Proverbs 26:11 — "As a dog returneth to his vomit, so a fool returneth to his folly."
Luke 12:20 — "God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee."
⚠️ Modern Corruption
Modern atheism wears Psalm 14:1's description as a brand; the Bible names it foolishness.
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Psalm 14:1 has provoked centuries of indignation: the fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Modern atheists, many of them brilliant in their fields, wear this verse as a badge of being attacked by a fundamentalist Bible. The text refuses the dodge. The verb is said in his heart — not academic argument but moral disposition. The fool is the one who would prefer there be no God so he can do as he pleases.
Christ's parable of the rich fool in Luke 12 lands the same charge from a different angle. The rich man builds bigger barns, plans for many years of ease, and is met by death and judgment that very night. Thou fool: the verdict is theological. Whatever the man's intelligence, his life-strategy ignored the Lord, and the Lord called him by his proper name. Bring the Lord into your barn-building. The label fool is one Scripture is willing to apply, and you do not want it.
🔗 Greek & Hebrew Roots
Hebrew kesil (H3684), nabal (H5036); Greek moros (G3474).
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H3684 — kesil — fool; dull, complacent
H5036 — nabal — fool; morally corrupt
G3474 — moros — fool; dull, stupid
Usage
"Modern atheism wears Psalm 14:1 as a brand; the Bible names it foolishness."
"The fool is one who would prefer there be no God so he can do as he pleases."
"Bring the Lord into your barn-building; the label fool is one Scripture applies."